The ARC sets off...piracy, separating fact and fiction...Jimmy Cornell's new book... and much more...

The annual Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) has set off this week again, with an amazing 200+ cruising yachts, and only a few (about 20) turning the event into a race. For the rest, who will keep in contact by HF radio and the use of scheduled nets, it is set to be a glorious crossing, with the weather starting favourably.

Read the official story, but also that told from the perspective of our regular writers Ian and Andrea Treleaven, who have joined the rally.

Piracy is an emotive subject, and there are many stories told about 'piracy' which are wrongly reported. This week we try to define it, and separate fact from fiction

Two good practical stories this week – some advice about sail webbing, and an excellent product that may end all your fuel spill dangers.

Jimmy Cornell, that long time guru of ocean cruising, tells us ''What makes a good sailor'' and about his new – the thirteenth – book on sailing, this one full of personal anecdotes from his long career, as well as loads of practicalities.

There are also some inspiring stories about what the adventure spirited are doing – from the Blizzard in the Antarctic, to the Cinkik heading for a challenge to the US Navy in Chagos Archipelago, to the heart warming story of Heather Neill, who is setting out solo on the smallest boat that any woman has used to circumnavigate the world.

Lots more too, so read on, enjoy, and...

Sail safe

Nancy Knudsen, Cruising Editor

Atlantic Rally for Cruisers 2007 -Set Ready Go! World Cruising Club/Sail-World, The 22nd Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) started in spectacular style today as 235 yachts from 28 different nations sailed across the start line off Las Palmas de Canaria headed for their final destination, 2,700 nautical miles away in Rodney Bay, St Lucia.... [more]

Jimmy Cornell and What Makes a Good Sailor Nancy Knudsen, Are YOU a 'good sailor'? What comprises a 'good sailor' anyway? One who has sailed further? Safer? In bad seas? With the best techniques? Unless you're racing, it's certainly not faster... Searching for an answer, I put the question recently to one of the world's most respected and famous cruising sailors – Jimmy Cornell.... [more]

Piracy: Romance, Fact and Fiction www.sailingahead.com /Sail-World Cruising, The existence of piracy against yachts is a much maligned subject across the world. How to get intelligent information before engaging in a long sailing journey is a difficult task. It is made difficult by a number of factors:... [more]

Best Product: Never Spill your Fuel Again! Des Ryan, We've now learned to throw a bucket of water on our teak deck BEFORE we start to refill the fuel tanks - just in case it spurts back or overflows and the diesel is spilt on the deck - or worse, into the sea. But now there's a better solution!... [more]

Sailboat to Dare US Navy in Diego Garcia Nancy Knudsen, The uninhabited 2,300 islands of Chagos are treasured by long range cruisers. About 1000 miles from India and the same from Africa, in the middle of the Indian Ocean, it's about as far away from civilisation as you can get. Now, yet another sailing boat is headed for the idyllic Chagos Archipelago, but there's a difference...... [more]

Solo Girl-Smallest Boat Ever for Circumnavigation Nancy Knudsen, There's yet another woman who is setting sail to travel solo around the world, and this one is doing it in the smallest boat ever! On January, 1st, Heather Neill will set off from Steinhatchee in Florida on her 24ft sailing boat called Flight of Years, to circle the world.... [more]

Blizzard Starts their Antarctic Experience Nancy Knudsen, On 1st October 2007, the Blizzard, a 20 metre, schooner rigged, aluminium expedition sailing yacht, set sail from Hobart across the Southern Ocean to Puerto Montt on the west coast of Chile. En route she called in at the remote and uninhabited New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands... [more]

Saving Cutty Sark - or not? Orla Chennaoui, Sky News, Six months after she was almost destroyed by fire, the historic Cutty Sark still faces potential ruin due to a severe funding crisis. Trustees of the world's sole surviving tea clipper need to drum up an extra £14m towards her restoration... [more]

Famed Russian Sailor Heads for Antarctica Sail-World Cruising, Famous Russian sailor Fedor Konyukhov aims to become the first person to sail solo around Antarctica. Starting in January 2008 from Albany, Western Australia, the 56 year-old yachtsman will endeavor to sail his 27 metre (88') yacht Trading Network along a race track around Antarctica... [more]

This Week's UK Halsey Tip: Watch the Webbing UK-Halsey, Sailmakers, More and more cruising sailboats are being delivered with roller furling mains and jibs. The usual method for attaching the head and tack of these furling sails to the roller unit is a webbing loop.... [more]

New - Giant Catamaran, the Nahema 120 Des Ryan, Nahema, situated in Marseilles, France, is about to produce some of the largest catamarans in the world. The Nahema 120 and the Nahema 150 are the utmost in luxury catamarans. The Nahema 120, will be first on display at Boot, the International Boat Show held in Dusseldorf each year. At 35 metres in length, it will allow a huge amount of living and crew space.... [more]

Letters from the Atlantic: Las Palmas Start of ARC Andrea and Ian Treleaven, Opening ceremonies, parties, flag parades, seminars are all very exciting and great knowledge gained but at the start line it’s only you and the Atlantic to cross. Late to fill in trade winds are now perfect for the 200 yachts on our start line, with a 25 knot northerly predicted and staying that way for 5 days. Sea temperature here is 20 degrees and by the time we get south to the Verde Islands... [more]

Letter from the Atlantic: Off at last on the ARC Andrea and Ian Treleaven, They promise, down wind sailing for this race to the Caribbean and that’s exactly what we get. The start is a fresh northerly as two start lines get the gun for a south course down the east side of Gran Canaria Island. First off is the racing division of 35 yachts and then our start line 20 minutes later with 200 in the cruising division. Gennaker up we soon leave the fleet in our wake as most... [more]

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